Display fixture systems are common in the retail industry for displaying merchandise offered for sale. Preferably, the merchandise is either displayed on shelves or it is hung on hooks. Shelves are typically arranged along a wall by securing at least two strips vertically to the wall. The strips have a plurality of small slots along their lengths in which brackets can be releasably attached. The shelves are then placed on the brackets. One of the main disadvantages of this strip and bracket system is that the strips must be very securely attached to the wall, especially if the merchandise to be displayed is relatively heavy. As such, a large number of attachment means, such as screws, are needed to keep the strips upright against the wall. This also results in the strip and bracket system not being flexible and versatile if the location of the shelves is to be changed.
Another display system available in the prior art is referred to as the "slot wall". This is a wood panel in which long horizontally disposed slots are provided. The slots are L-shaped in cross-section, thereby a portion of the wood panel forms a flange. Hooks or brackets are inserted and retained into the slots, and the merchandise is displayed thereon. A drawback of the slot wall is that the panel is generally constructed of particle board, thus the structural strength of the panel is weak. Accordingly, only relatively light weight merchandise, such as socks and clothing for example, can be held and displayed by the slot wall.
Accordingly, there is a need for a display fixture system that is versatile and capable of holding and displaying relatively heavy merchandise. By versatility, it is meant that the display fixture system can be easily mounted and dismounted, it can be easily placed in any location in a retail store, and it is modular so that it can be connected to other such systems to build a larger display fixture.